SIMLEY HIGH SCHOOL - NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY Information and Application for Candidates. Scholarship --- Leadership --- Character --- Service

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1 SIMLEY HIGH SCHOOL - NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY Information and Application for Candidates All 10 th and 11 th graders who have achieved the minimum Simley NHS GPA requirement (3.333) are invited to be candidates for NHS membership. The process consists of four parts, correlating with the four pillars of the national organization. Scholarship --- Leadership --- Character --- Service All four parts are EQUALLY examined to determine if a candidate should be inducted into the Simley Chapter of National Honor Society. SCHOLARSHIP As a Simley NHS candidate, you must meet and maintain the minimum GPA of You must list your current class schedule and the Faculty Committee WILL check with your teachers regarding your scholarship habits and classroom demeanor. A high GPA means little to the NHS Faculty Committee if you are not also an active, positive influence in the classroom. The Faculty Committee considers the academic rigor of the courses you select, but you are not required to have a schedule full of AP/Honors/Accelerated courses. A student is not marked down for taking study hall. LEADERSHIP The Faculty Committee believes that candidates should demonstrate experience in leadership and that NHS membership should then provide further opportunity to develop your leadership skills. Thus, the information packet asks that you list your prior leadership experiences. The Faculty Committee is looking for examples of situations where you took responsibility for organizing people toward a common goal OR examples of workshops/seminars you ve attended to grow and learn in the area of leadership. CHARACTER As a Simley NHS Member, you are expected to maintain a high level of character and integrity. Abraham Lincoln, a truly honorable president, once said, Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Young people of strong character should stand up for their beliefs, follow their consciences and do the right thing, even though no one may be watching. NHS members are honorable, live by their principles no matter what others say, and especially don t lose heart if they fail or don t get what they want. SERVICE Similar to the "leadership" ideal, the Faculty Committee believes that candidates should have a previously demonstrated interest in service, and that NHS membership should then provide further service opportunities. The information packet asks that you list your prior servicerelated experiences. The Faculty Committee is looking for examples of situations where you performed a significant service to the school or the community.

2 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE APPLYING Please consider if you will have the time and the commitment required throughout the school year. The following are a list of the responsibilities expected of a Simley High School National Honor Society member. Leadership As an NHS member you are a leader in our school and outside of our school. It is expected that members maintain their high GPA, good attendance, and exemplify honorable behavior inside and outside of school. Meetings Attendance is taken at each general membership meeting. The meetings will be held twice a month on Thursday mornings at 7:05 in the Simley Auditorium. If you will be absent from a meeting, it is your responsibility to contact a fellow NHS member or Ms. DeVries to let them know. We understand circumstances arise which may prevent you from attending, but we also expect you to show good character by being accountable for your absence. You may not have more than two unexcused absences from meetings during the academic year. Three unexcused absences will result in dismissal from NHS. A complete schedule will be provided at the beginning of the school year. Service All members are expected to serve on one NHS committee and must participate in at least 10 hours of service per trimester (30 hours for the year), at Simley High School or in the community, to maintain active membership. Juniors who do not complete the service requirement will not be allowed to remain in NHS their senior year. Seniors who do not complete their service hours and senior project (officers are exempt from senior projects) will not be allowed to graduate wearing the Gold NHS Cord.

3 SIMLEY HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY APPLICATION PACKET Name: Grade: Address: City: Zip: Phone: Address Please check to verify that your completed application includes the following: Application Packet (Complete online, print and turn in to Ms. DeVries). Two evaluation forms from high school teachers. (Evaluation forms should each be in a sealed envelope and included with application packet). All materials must be submitted to Ms. DeVries in the Guidance Office by: Friday, March 1 st at 3pm. No late applications will be accepted.

4 SCHOLARSHIP A student who is a SCHOLAR ü Challenges him/herself by taking high level courses ü Has a responsible and persistent work ethic ü Learns well independently as well as in groups As a Simley NHS candidate, you must meet the minimum GPA criteria of Simley NHS expects you to continue to grow your positive classroom influence and to continue to demonstrate excellent scholarship qualities after your NHS selection. Grades will be verified each trimester to ensure students are meeting scholastic requirements. Cumulative GPA Class Rank / Current Schedule (T2) Hour 1 Course Current Letter Grade

5 LEADERSHIP A student who is a LEADER ü Holds school offices or positions of responsibility ü Demonstrates leadership in the classroom, at work, and in community activities ü Promotes school activities ü Upholds school ideals and inspires positive behavior in others ü Demonstrates academic initiative List elected, appointed, or earned leadership positions held in school, community, or work activities. We are looking for examples where you were responsible for organizing people toward a common goal. Some good examples of leadership would be serving as a team project organizer for scouts, church, or a school activity, or serving as a camp counselor or active captain of a team. Some not-so-useful examples of leadership would be babysitting, individual projects for scouts, church, or a school activity, or participation on a team, athletic or otherwise. Please reflect only on the period of time in which you have been in high school. If you have questions about whether something constitutes a qualifying leadership experience, check with Ms. DeVries. Title or Position Responsibilities and/or accomplishments Academic Year (9, 10, 11)

6 Parent Signature CHARACTER A student of CHARACTER ü Upholds principles of morality and ethics ü Is a respectful and responsible individual ü Is a lifelong learner and critical thinker ü Is diligent and capable of performance; holding a high level of self-discipline ü Participates in community activities ü Consistently exhibits desirable qualities of behavior In the school environment, your character is demonstrated daily by the way you carry yourself in a classroom: the behaviors you do or don t do, the way you interact with those around you, the respect you show teachers and peers, and how you handle both positive and negative situations. Some examples of good character would be a time when you did the right thing despite the possibility of negative consequences, a time when you went above and beyond in some situation without expectation of reward or recognition, or a time when you were strong when it would have been easy to be weak. An example of questionable character would be a hastily written or late information packet (which will disqualify you), allowing someone to copy your paper or assignment, or sharing test questions with other students. Please write a short essay (1 2 pages typed, double spaced using 12 pt font) about some personal experience that demonstrates the quality of your character. You should attach this essay to your completed application packet.

7 SERVICE A student who SERVES ü Performs volunteer work in their school and in the community. ü Participates in some outside activity such as scouts or church groups. ü Shows courtesy by assisting visitors, teachers and fellow students. List the most significant service activities in which you have participated. These should be any activities in which you participated for the betterment of others, not activities or teams for which you were a member. Some good examples of service include volunteering in most any capacity, tutoring other students, working to help those less fortunate, visiting nursing homes, or "giving back" in some way to an organization. Some not-so-good examples of service would include any work you did for hire, regular household chores, babysitting, participation on a team, and self-serving projects. Please reflect only on the period of time in which you have been in high school. If you have questions about whether something constitutes a qualifying service experience, check with Ms. DeVries. Service Activity Service Provided Academic Year (9, 10, 11) Approximate Hours Parent Signature

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